Automatic stop for phonographs



April 30, 1929. R. H. MANSON 1,710,800

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed NOV. 10, 1927 2 SheetsSheet[LECTR\C MOTOR CSRCUH BREAKER INVENTOR RAY H. MANSON ATTORNEY April 30,1929. R. H. MANSON 1,710,300

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed Nov. 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR RAY H. MANSQN ATTOR EEY Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,710,000 PATENT OFFICE.

RAY H. MANSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROMBERG-CABLSONTELEPHONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 01? ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPO-RATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Application filed November 10, 1927; Serial No. 232,364.

This invention relates to automatic stops for PllOIlOglflpllS andparticularly that type of automatic stop in which the operatorpreselects the pointon the record where the stop begins to function.

Various kinds of automatic stops have been proposed including those inwhich a special form of needle groove is provided which determines thepoint at which the automatic stop begins to function to stop therotation of the turn table. However. such stops function only with oneform of needle groove, but, in accordance with the present invention, anautomatic stop is provided which permits the operator to preselect thepoint on the record where reproduction is to cease. Various detailedfeatures of the invention will appear from the description and appendedclaims.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of aphonograph incorporating the invention with certain other parts brokenaway. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a phonograph with certainparts broken away, while Fig. 3 is a detail view of the adjustingleverals shown in Figsrl and 2.

In Fig. 1 there is represented a support 5 provided with a bearing 6 inwhich there is mounted the turn table shaft 7. To the upper end of thisshaft there is secured the turn table 8 to support a phonographrecord 1) positioned by a boss 10 in the center of the turn table whichboss may be an extension of the shaft 7. This shaft and the turn table 8may be rotated in any well-known manner such as by a spring motor (notshown) or by an electrical motor (indicated but not shown). At therighthand side of the frame there is secured a hollow bearing 11 inwhich there mounted a hollow shaft 12 carrying the adjustable tone armmounted for limited rotation and for limited vertical movement. Thistone arm is provided in the present disclosure with an electricalpick-up device 13 in which the record needle 14 may be mounted althoughit will be understood that instead of the electrical pick-up device amechanical sound box may be substituted. The electrical pick-up device13 is mounted on tone arm 15 which arm is connected by a hinge 16designed for a vertical movement on the upper portion of the hollow"shaft 12. This shaft, it will outer periphery of the largest record tothe inner end of the sound groove provided in the record. On the uppersurface of the support 5 there mounted a plate 18 provided with aportion of the stop mechanism. In the present design this plate issubstantially concealed by the turn table although this arrangement ismerely a matter of convenience. On the plate 18 there is mounted forhorizontal rotation about the axis 19 a trigger provided with two arms20 and 21 the former of which has a vertical extension 23 projectingthrough an opening in support 5. This plate is also provided with astarting lever 2-1 mounted for rotation about the pin 25, a notch 25 ina cam surface on this starting lever receives a catch 22 on the arm 20to hold the starting lever in its operative position to permit the motorto rotate. The lower extension of the axis 25 is provided with a camwhich in one position opens and in another position maintains closedcontacts in the operating circuit of the electrical driving motor(indicated but not shown). It will be understood,

however that instead of providing a cam for rendering the electricalmot-or inoperative the starting lever may be provided with a brake inthe form of a friction pad to engage the outer edge of the turn table 8as shown at 26 in the patent to Malocsay 1,383,651. A spring 26 havingone of its ends connected to the starting lever 24 and its other endconnected to the arm 20 of the trigger is arranged so that when thecatch 22 is in the notch 25 the spring tends to hold the members in thisrelation but when the catch is removed from this notch the spring tendsto pull the starting lever into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The structure previously described is sufficient to control the startingand stopping of the phonograph manually without the intervention of theautomatic stopping device. In order to ermit automatic stopping of thephongrapli when a predetermined point on the needle groove of the recordis reached, the automatic stop .lllGC-llttlllfilll 0t this invention isprovided. On the lower end of the hollow shal't 1.2 there isfrictionally mounted an automatic stopping lever 27 of suflicient lengthto engage the extension of 23 on the arm 21. The automatic stoppinglever includes an apcrtured lturaclvet 2S spaced a su'tlicient distancefrom the main portion of the lever 27 so that there may be two points ofengagement between the hollow shaft 12 and the automatic stopping lever.Between the member 27 and the bracket 28 and surroiu'uling the hollowshaft 12, there is mounted a washer $51, a spiral spring 30, and acollar 29 secured to the shaft. These lastaiamed members function afterthe manner of a clutch so that the automatic stopping lever 27 normallytrictionally engages the hollow shaft 12 so that these parts rotatetogether whenever the tone arm 15 is moved. ()n the under side of thesupport 5 thcreis secured by means oi? suitable screws a U-shapcdbracket 82. On this bracket and pivoted at 33 there is mounted. a lever34 having a.- cam surface 35 at one end engaging the washer 81 which maycompress the spring 30 and thereby disengage the automatic stoppinglever 27 from the hollow shaft The other end of the lever is providedwith a s iring 36 engaging an extension of the bracket 32 so that thecam portion ot the lever 34 is normally out of engagement withthe *asher31. ()n the upper surface of the support 5 there is provided a button 37having an extension 38 passing throi'lgh an opening in the support toengage the end of the lever 34:. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be notedthat a spiral spring 89 having its ends respectively connected to thecollar 29 and the bracket 28 tends to rotate the automatic stoppinglever 27, when disengaged from the shaft '12, into engageunknt with theextension 23.

In the setting of the automatic stop the tone arm 15 is rotated untilthe needle 11 engages the portion of the needle groove on the record 9at which it is desired to stop the operation of the motor. The button 37is depressed and its extension 38 moves the left hand end of the lever34; dowmvard so that the cam sur'tace 35 disengages the clutch mechanismincluding the spring Eli) and the washer 31 so that the automaticstopping lever 27 under the action of spring 39 moves until it engagesthe extension The tone arm 15 is moved until the needle engages thebeginning of the needle groove after which the starting lever 24 thenmoved until the catch 22 engages the notch 25. The moving of thestarting arm 24; into its starting position starts the driving motor inoperation which rotates the turn table 8 thereby progressively advancingthe tone arm 15 and its needle 14 until the needle reaches the pointwhere the ope aim has decided to stop the playing of the record. Thismovement of the tone arm 15 also causes a similar movement of theautomatic stopping lever 27. This lever after the 1110- mentarydepression of the button 37, of course, follows the movement of the tonearm so that when the needle 11 reaches the predetermined stopping pointthe autmnatic stopping lever 27 engages the extension 23 ot the triggerarm which rotates toward the left about its axis 19 disengaging thecatch 22 from the notch 25. The spring 26 thereupon movcs the startinglever 2t to the position shown in Fig. 2 to open the circuit of thedriving motor (not shown).

\Vhat I claim, is:

1. In a stopping mechanism for phonographs, with a turn table, a membermovable relative to said turn table, stopping mechanism, and means toeffect the operation of said stopping mechanism to stop the rotation ofsaid turn table at a preiletermincd point, said means inclrujling anelement normally movable in fixed relation to said member, releasingmeans for releasing said ele ment from fixed relation with said member,and a resilient connection between said element and said member forchanging the relation between said element and said memher by movingsaid member to said predetermined position and by operating saidreleasing member.

2. In a stopping mechanism for phonographs, a turn table, a soundreproducing member mounted on a swinging arm, stopping mechanism forsaid turn table, and means to render said stopping mechanism effectiveto stop the rotation of said turn table when said swinging arm reaches apredetermined position, said means including a second swinging armnormally fixed to said first arm, releasing mechanism for disengagingsaid second arm from said first arm, and a resilient connection betweensaid arms whereby the relation thcrehetween may be changed by movingsaid first swinging arm to said predetermined position and bytemporarily disengaging one arm from the other.

3. In a phonographic device, a record turn table, a motor for rotatingsaid turn table, a reproducing arm movable in an arc including theperiphery and center 01'' said turn table, means for starting andstopping the operation of said motor, a latch for holding said means inposition to effect the operation of said motor, a lever for disengagingsaid latch, said lever being normally movable with said reproducing arm,releasing mechanism to release said lever from said reproducing arm, andresilient means to change the relation between said lever and saidreproducing arm.

, 4. In a phonographic device, a support, a

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vertical shaft mounted for rotation in said support, a turn tablesecured to the upper end of said shaft, motor mechanism below saidsupport for rotating said shaft, a second vertical shaft spaced from thefirst shaft, rotatably mounted in said support, an arm provided with areproducing device mounted on the upper end of said second shaft, astopping lever below said support mounted for rotation on the lower endof said second shaft, clutch mechanism normally connecting said stoppinglever to said second shaft whereby said arm and said stopping levernormally rotate in fixed relation, means for releasing said clutch,resilient means for changing the relation between said arm and saidstopping lever when said clutch mcch-, anism is released and meansactuated by said stopping lever for stopping the operation of saidmotor.

5. In a phonographic device, a support, a vertical shaft rotatable insaid support, a record turn table secured to the upper end of saidshaft, means for holding a record on said turn table, motor mechanismmounted below said support for rotating said shaft, a second verticalshaft rotatably mounted in said support adjacent the periphery of saidturn table, a reproducing arm hingedly mounted on the upper end of saidsecond shaft for limited vertical movement, a reproducing device mountedon the free end of said arm, a stylus mounted in said reproducing deviceengaging a spiral groove on a record, beginning near the outer edge ofsaid record and terminating at a point near the center thereof wherebyin response to the rotation of said record and said turn table said armmoves in an are including the beginning of said spiral groove at theouter edge of said record and a predetermined point on said groove nearthe center of said record, means for effecting the operation of saidmotor, a latch for holding said last mentioned means in operatedposition, a stopping lever for disengaging said latch rotatably mountedon the lower end of said second shaft, locking means for normallyholding said stopping lever in fixed relation to said arm, meansoperableithrough said support for disengaging said locking means wherebythe fixed relation between said stopping lever and said arm may bechanged and means effective on the disengagement of said lockin meansfor changing the relation between sald stopping lever and said arm whensaid stylus isin a predetermined posi tion on said record groove.

6. In combination with a phonograph having a rotatable turn table forcarrying a record provided with a spiral groove, a motor for rotatingsaid turn table, mechanism for starting the operation of said motor, alatch for holding said mechanism in operated condition, a vertical shaftadjacent said turn table provided with a horizontally swinging arm, a reroducing device mounted on said arm provi ed with a stylus to travel insaid record groove, and means to stop the operation, of said motor whensaid stylus reaches a predetermined position in said record groove, saidmeans including a memher for disengaging said latch when said arm withits stylus has reached said predetermined point, mechanism to change therelation between said member and said arm while said arm is in saidredetermined position including means or unlocking said member from saidsecond shaft and for moving said member into engagement with said latch.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day ofNovember, A. D. 1927.

BAY H. MANSON.

